10:21 AM
 

"I'm going for a refill, you want any?" Baekhyun asks, his collar crinkling as he peeks his head in the door. A loud groan echoes of the wall to the tiny cubicle and he chuckles. "Seriously, be glad at least someone cares enough to stop by every once in a while--"

"If by once in a while you mean every three seconds, then yeah, whatever," Jongin huffs, and even though he's got his back turned to Baekhyun, he can practically see the -eating grin on the latter's face. "And second of all, you know I'd rather drink piss." He automatically glances at the blue mug hovering dangerously close to the edge of his desk. It's practically empty but he takes a swig anyway. A lock of hair falls in his face as he reaches into his briefcase and retrieves a blank 1044, before placing it on the desk with the full intention of not signing it (well, not right now, at least). He rests his head in his hand, only to shut his eyes in irritation when he sees Baekhyun still standing by the entrance in the glare of the computer screen. "Do you mind-?"

Baekhyun smoothes out his collar. "First of all, science says that coffee can make you smarter and more energetic," he says and clears his throat dramatically loud, Jongin sighing in response. "And--" He cuts himself off when he spots Jongin's coat, which is carelessly strewn on the couch at the back of the room. It sticks out like a sore thumb on top of the bright red cushions. "Minseok was kind enough to convince her to supply us with coat hangers, please don't make him regret doing so-"

With a low groan, Jongin cracks his sore knuckles whilst spinning around in his chair and sending Baekhyun a look. "Science also says you're a moron," he says without bite as he crosses his arms over his chest. He slumps in his chair, only to scramble into a somewhat presentable posture when his boss suddenly walks past. "Science also says that tea's better," he mumbles and Baekhyun knows for a fact that he made it up on the spot.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Baekhyun sing-songs, which earns him a tired look from the brunet. Taking a very last swig, he raises his coffee cup in the air as a means to salute Jongin. "Suit yourself. Hey, if you finish within the next ten minutes I'll join you for lunch, if you're lucky. Oh, and if I open the fridge and see that you've 'accidentally' stolen my lunch again, you're dead, just sayin'." He sends Jongin a wink before turning on his heel and disappearing from view, only to have the words 'Wrong way!' shouted at him. He mutters something about hating different departments having different break rooms before his footsteps disappear down the hallway.

Exhaling slowly, Jongin can't stop the smile that slowly creeps up on his face, and he stares at the empty opening for a while before chuckling to himself and rolling back towards his desk. He places a hand on the mouse and attempts to focus on whatever he's got in front of him on the screen, and he doesn't know if it's simply Monday taking its toll or the fact that he particularly hates answering emails, but Jongin finds himself unconsciously fidgeting with a Post-it note on the side of the monitor. Realizing it's over a week old, Jongin balls it up before chucking it in the trash can and missing. Jongin knows he should probably get back to (his barely existing) work, but one look at the stack of unsigned 1044's by his wrist and he stretches out his limbs before relaxing. He figures that if his boss decides to grace him with her presence and bombard him with assignments later, he'll be staying late again, like usual. At least he'll be having the entire office floor to himself, since having his thoughts interrupted by the constant sounds of keyboard clickings is something he'd rather live without.

Stretching out his legs only makes Jongin realize just how long he's been sitting without getting up to move around, and he glances at the clock on the computer before putting it on stand by. The thought of food is enough for him to ignore the painful cramping in his legs and behind, and Jongin straightens out his blouse before making a move to head out, only to stop and grab his mug. He figures it might need a refill if he's going to survive staying up until midnight.

Upon making his way down the hallway, Jongin immediately notices that nearly every cubicle in sight is empty, and he internally groans at having to queue for the microwave and possibly miss his break. However, there are faint keyboard clicks emitting from the cubicle right next to him and Jongin feels himself swallowing, a warm feeling rushing through his body when he discreetly turns his head to look. 

Sehun is sitting with his legs crossed under the table, head cocked slightly to the side in concentration as he skims through an attachment. His blond hair is perfectly styled in a messy quiff, the way Jongin likes it, and his black coat is draped over his chair as he hums to himself. The smell of his strong cologne lingers in the air. An empty thermos, which Jongin remembers being full when he arrived and walked past this morning, sits next to Sehun on the table as the latter opens up an email and begins typing. Jongin can't help but stand and watch the way Sehun's fingers seem to dance across the keys as he quickly types, and Jongin figures he would've ended up staring forever if Sehun's work phone didn't ring subsequently. Jongin quickly moves aside so he's not standing in the middle of the opening, listening to Sehun's calm voice before his eyebrows furrow. Jongin figures Sehun must have had an early lunch and the former feels himself pout slightly before awkwardly moving away from the cubicle and making his way down the hallway.

Thankfully, the break room isn't overflowing with hungry office workers, and Jongin nearly cries in joy when he opens the door and sees that the line to the microwave is only down to one person. Jongin immediately spots Baekhyun and Luhan conversing at their usual spots at the table, greeting them hastily before rummaging through the fridge and locating his lunch box. He practically shoves his food in the microwave before slamming it shut; not having eaten any breakfast as a result of oversleeping is starting to take effect and Jongin figures he'll eat his food cold if the microwave doesn't hurry up.

"I knew you'd forget, so I made you one," Baekhyun says simply, sliding a fresh cup of tea in Jongin's direction after the latter takes a seat. "You're welcome," he chuckles before turning to Luhan again. "...And that's why I'm never getting into a weird-looking Uber driver's car again," he concludes, shoving a spoonful of rice in his mouth.

"He just charged you five cents more than he was supposed to, it's not like he held you hostage in the back seat and asked for ransom," Luhan mumbles with a chuckle. "Anyway, how're you holding up?" he asks after turning his body to face Jongin.

Chewing rapidly, not even caring that he's risking giving himself hiccups, Jongin sends Luhan a thumbs up. "Better now," he says after swallowing and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His thighs ache like crazy after keeping them crossed in place for three hours straight, but he quickly forgets about it when he takes another bite. Whilst he may not be a cook, he's awfully good at making kimchi spaghetti, and he doesn't even swallow before shoving the fork in his mouth again. He's about to complain about the lack of air conditioning in the room when the door suddenly opens, and he nearly chokes on and spits out his food at the same time when he looks up.

Sehun holds the door open for Chanyeol as the two enter the room, the latter immediately commenting on the heat before they walk over to the fridge. Sehun must have run his hand through his hair many times, because it's looking messier than usual, and Jongin hates how long he stares as Sehun and Chanyeol proceed to engage in presumably casual conversation whilst they warm up their food. Jongin picks up his fork and misses his mouth when his gaze glide over to Sehun's broad shoulders, the latter's shoulder blades well visible underneath his thin white blouse, and Jongin has to (casually) beg Baekhyun to get up and fetch him a tissue when he realizes he's got sauce all over his face.

Jongin watches, hand covering his mouth indiscreetly as Chanyeol and Sehun greet Baekhyun, who says something Jongin can't hear, but what Jongin does hear is Sehun's laughter that follows. It's the most beautiful sound Jongin has ever heard in his life and it takes Jongin a whole minute to register Baekhyun waving the tissues in front of his face subsequently. A few seconds later, Chanyeol and Sehun walk up and all of them scooch over to give them space. 

"Why'd you get so many," Jongin hisses, counting up to fifty tissues before taking two and proceeding to wipe his face. He feels his body growing hot, but he blames it on the Sahara desert-like heat in the room, which seems to increase by the minute, and Jongin contemplates emptying the fridge and climbing inside before ing his blouse ever so slightly. 

"'Cause you're a dirty boy," Baekhyun says casually, which results in Chanyeol choking on his milk and Luhan burying his face in his hands. "You know what I meant, y'all are just filthy little s," he mumbles, although the -eating grin on his face when he sees Jongin picking at his food with red cheeks does him little justice. 

Jongin squashes the overwhelming urge to launch Baekhyun into outer space before gripping his fork tightly. In his peripheral, he can make out Sehun chuckling politely. "Yeah, shut up," he murmurs into his mug, only to emit a loud squeal of surprise and flinch when the hot tea nearly burns his tongue off, and Luhan hastily grabs the mug before it topples over. "." He's lucky, because his blouse is untouched, but the table isn't, and he groans when a drop of tea falls from the edge and onto his lap. All five of them work together to clean up the mess and Jongin mumbles an embarrassed 'Thanks' when the table is tea free.

"See? Point proven," Baekhyun snickers, only to shriek in disgust when Jongin tosses a balled up, tea soaked tissue directly in his face. He briefly tells Luhan, Chanyeol and Jongin to off when the three of them burst into laughter subsequently. "Y'all ," he mumbles and picks up his spoon, only for his eyes to light up. "Hey, what would you like for your birthday?" he asks innocently, only to blink when Luhan bites his lip.

"Yeah, it's your big day soon!" Jongin exclaims, extremely relieved to finally change the subject. He fights the urge to undo another button when the heat nearly becomes unbearable. Strangely enough, he seems to be the only one affected, but he quickly forgets it when Luhan sighs deeply. "What's the ma-"

"I...it's fine, I don't wanna talk about it," Luhan says glumly, poking at his food. Jongin can see a small sweat stain on his back and he's glad he's not the only one feeling the heat.

Baekhyun blinks. "Why not?" he asks, blinking again. He presses his lips together, only to smile brightly. "C'mon, dude, 30 is a great age!" He pats Luhan's shoulder, the latter only mumbling something in response.

"30 isn't that old, in my opinion," Sehun says politely as he scrapes at the bottom of his lunch box. He's brought some sort of egg yolk colored pancake and Jongin wonders if he made it himself. 

"At least you're 30 and look 12," Chanyeol huffs, stuffing an entire meatball in his mouth. "Would you rather be 12 and look 30?" he asks mainly himself and nearly trips over his chair when he gets up to refill his glass. "Sheesh."

Luhan shrugs. "No idea," he simply says before going back to eating, and Jongin nods slowly when it becomes clear that he isn't in the mood to talk anymore.

"Anyway," Baekhyun asks, finishing his food and sliding his empty lunch box aside. "Didn't you say you were gonna finish your application on Saturday? Did you do it? How'd it go?" he asks all at once and Jongin has to take an extra second to process everything.

"Application?" Chanyeol asks after returning, raising an eyebrow in question. "For what?"

"University," Jongin says, his body tensing up and a warm feeling spreading through his chest when Sehun crosses his legs under the table, resulting in their shins bumping together. "I...I uh, yeah, I did, I--" He momentarily loses his train of thought when Sehun mouths an apology. "I...yeah, I-- It's for university--" He scratches the back of his head, hoping his face doesn't explode with heat.

"You already said that," Baekhyun laughs before cocking his head in interest. "Man, I'm rooting for you, I really hope you get in so you can escape this place," he says and slaps a hand over his mouth when the loud sound of heels clacking against the floor is heard, only for it to disappear down the hallway. He places a hand on his chest in relief, rolling his eyes when Sehun and Chanyeol snicker. "Shut up--"

Sehun chuckles before clearing his throat and turning to look at Jongin, whose body immediately stills when they lock eyes for the first time in a long, long while. "What are you planning on studying?" he asks softly, picking up a piece of his egg-pancake and biting into it. Even though his hair must be doused with at least a hundred different products, it still looks silky smooth like velvet and Jongin fights the urge to reach out and run his hands through the yellow strands.

It takes Jongin an embarrassingly long time to even bring himself to open his mouth, and he sort of wishes he was behind his desk and signing 1044's when Sehun looks up and into his eyes again. It's not until Luhan jabs his arm that he flinches and sputters. "Uh--" He blinks. "Wait, what-- Oh, university-- I'm uh...trying to get into the dance program," he says so quietly that even he's surprised. Sehun's sharp cologne suddenly tingles his senses and he feels himself breaking into a sweat. 

Sehun nods in interest, wiping his hands with a tissue before resting his head in his hand and looking at Jongin again. This is the first time they've been this close, and Jongin finds himself fascinated by how perfectly groomed his eyebrows are. "That sounds fun," he says sincerely. "I used to take dance classes back in high school, I at it, though." He chuckles in embarrassment before smiling again. "No but seriously, good luck, I really hope you get in," he adds, sending Jongin a polite smile.

"You used to dance?" Jongin blurts out before he can stop himself. He tries keeping his voice as neutral as possible as he stares at Sehun, but it's awfully difficult, and it gets so difficult that Jongin has to avert his gaze so he doesn't explode. 

"Yeah," Sehun replies, clearly embarrassed as he presses his lips together. "You're definitely better than I am, though, that's for sure," he laughs and he looks at Baekhyun when the latter speaks, which makes Jongin bite his cheek in irritation.

"When was that office party thing again?" Baekhyun asks, running a hand through his clown red hair as he looks around in wonder. "I dunno, man, I heard it from Taemin who heard it from Seunghyun who heard it from--"

"Next Monday, I think," Luhan says, placing the lid back on his empty lunch box before standing up and stretching. "Dunno if I'm coming, though, but I'll keep you guys updated." He wipes the back of his hand, a lock of ash brown hair falling in his eyes as he struggles to get out of his seat. "My break's over, so I guess I'll see you guys later," he says, waving hastily before walking over to the door and swinging it open.

The door closes and Chanyeol checks his watch. "Why's he so grumpy," he whines before checking his watch and standing up. ", I had to deliver some folders to Minseok, better hurry," he mumbles, adjusting his suit jacket and tie as he quickly fixes his hair, which is damp with sweat. He waits until Sehun also gets up before walking over to the door. "Are you guys leaving at the usual time?" he asks, although he doesn't get a response when he suddenly hears their boss calling his name, and he's bursting out the door within seconds. Sehun turns around and nods at Jongin and Baekhyun before also leaving the room.

Baekhyun waits until the door closes to lean back in his chair and fan his face dramatically. "Man, it's hot as balls in here," he breathes before sitting up and looking at Jongin. "Christ, man, you're sweating bullets. Is there no AC on your side, or what?" he asks before checking the time on his phone. "Great, I'm late." He murmurs something angrily before reluctantly getting up and picking up his empty lunch box. "Are you coming to the party next week, by the way?" He turns to face Jongin.

Jongin blinks. He honestly doesn't remember anybody even mentioning anything about an office party. In fact, he's never even been to one, and he hopes it isn't like the ones you see in the movies. "Uh...sure, maybe, I guess, as long as it's not on a Friday I'll probably be there," he says, scratching the back of his head. He's never looked forward to a shower more in his entire life than right now, and the thought of having to spend the next couple of hours trapped in a chair whilst sweating makes him want to die. "You're coming too, though, aren't you? I mean, I don't think Lu-"

"He's coming, man, believe me," Baekhyun laughs. "And of course I am, wouldn't miss it for the world." He sends Jongin a wink before checking his phone again. " man, I gotta get back, I'll stop by and say goodbye if I remember, since you'll be staying behind, I suppose." He watches Jongin getting out of his seat before hurrying to stand next to him, since the latter would rather jump out the window than spend another second in the sauna-like heat. "Alrighty then," he mumbles before opening the door.

Jongin exhales in relief when a blast of cool air hits him right in the face as soon as they step out in the hallway. The sound of keyboards clicking fills the air yet again, and Jongin wonders if it's worth risking getting chewed out by his boss by wearing earphones whilst working. He figures it isn't, and he internally groans, in disgust when he feels his blouse sticking to his torso with cold sweat. Baekhyun stands next to him, and the latter soon speaks, but Jongin immediately cuts it out when something catches his eye behind Baekhyun's shoulder. He registers a tall, lean figure with blond hair walking down the hallway and he soon realizes that it's Sehun, and Jongin follows the former with his eyes before Sehun disappears around the corner to the men's room. Feeling his heart race, Jongin stares at the empty hallway for far too long and nearly jumps out of his own skin when Baekhyun whisper-yells his name.

"What're you gawking at?" Baekhyun asks, an eyebrow raised in confusion as he follows Jongin's gaze. He turns his head and blinks in confusion before looking back at Jongin. "O...kay, anyway, I'm going to Minseok now, but I'll see you later and if not later, then tomorrow." He waves at Jongin before scurrying down the hallway and Jongin hears Minseok's scolding voice before walking in the opposite direction, towards his own cubicle.

Jongin trudges back to his own room, his stomach coiling both comfortably and uncomfortably when he passes by Sehun's empty cubicle. The latter's computer is on stand by, with the logo in the corner, and his thermos is still sitting on the desk untouched. It's not until Jongin squints that he can barely make out a few framed photographs sitting on Sehun's desk, and he has to restrain himself from rushing inside and taking a peek. He stands outside Sehun's cubicle for what feels like forever until he hears the bathroom door swing open, and Jongin hurries back to his own cubicle before plopping down in his chair. Trying to stop his head from spinning, he closes his eyes and spins back and forth in his seat for a minute until he sighs and turns his attention to his computer. An empty email stares back at him and Jongin exhales slowly, trying and failing to keep his heart from racing as he hears footsteps walking down the hallway and stopping at the cubicle behind him. In an attempt at distracting himself, Jongin grabs a random pen and proceeds to sign the stack of papers on his desk. It works surprisingly well, and before Jongin knows it, he's only got fifty sheets left, and he looks up, blinking when he checks the time, only for his eyes to widen when he realizes that it's ten minutes to eight. Baekhyun must have left a long while ago, not that he noticed, and now that Jongin thinks about it, he can't hear any noise, and he exhales before proceeding to go back to signing papers. 

After ten minutes, his hand starts aching, and Jongin puts the pen down before caressing his sore knuckles and fingers. He leans back in his seat, biting his lip in nervousness when he thinks back to this morning - when he submitted his letter of application, and he swallows thickly before closing his eyes. His head and heart are both still pounding, and Jongin wonders if he should call 911 when he suddenly hears a soft knock on the wall of his cubicle, which makes him flinch so much that he ends up forcefully kicking the underside of his desk in surprise. To add insult to injury, his jar of pencils and photo of his dog end up falling to the floor with a thud. Jongin curses under his breath and rubs his sore knee, fully ready to yell at Baekhyun for scaring him. He's about to say something along the lines of 'What in God's name is wrong with you, you stupid ing nut' when he looks up, his voice instantly dying in his throat.

Sehun stares at the brunet for a minute, blinking before chuckling softly. He's dressed in his black coat, and Jongin can see his tie and white blouse peeking out underneath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he says gently, bending down and picking up a pen that rolls towards his shoe. He nods at a stack of papers in his hands before smiling apologetically at the brunet. "She wanted me to give these to you since she told me you're working late today." He hands it to Jongin, who accepts it with shaking hands, and the latter nearly screams when their fingers touch. "Don't wear yourself out too much," he laughs. A leaving coworker walks past him and they nod at each other.

"It's, uh, I'm, it's no problem, re-really," Jongin stammers, rubbing the back of his neck and praying he doesn't drop the stack as he balances it in his hand. "I'm used to it, anyway, so," he adds, walking back to his desk and practically slamming the papers down when he's legit concerned he'll drop them. "Uh. Yeah." Suddenly, the familiar feeling of his entire chest swelling with heat hits him like a train and he makes a mental note to write an angry note about fixing the ACs and nailing it to his boss' office door. 

"At least you're keeping a positive attitude, that's more than I would've done," Sehun chuckles before running a hand through his hair. A thick lock falls in his face and lands just between his eyes. "I'm usually dead at this hour," he says but Jongin doesn't catch it, since the latter is too busy freaking out over how fast his heart is racing. "I'm gonna get a ticket if I don't move, so I'll see you tomorrow. Good night." He sends Jongin a quick nod before quickly walking down the hall and the latter hears the elevator door opening subsequently.

Jongin waits until the elevator door closes before he feels his legs nearly giving in, and he hurriedly wobbles over to his chair before throwing himself down. He basks in the silence for a minute before slowly bending down and picking up the pencil jar as well as the photo off the floor. They're both undamaged and he carefully puts them back on the table before sighing to himself. Figuring his boss left hours ago, he looks around before pulling his phone out of his pocket and plugging in his earphones. He's dying to get home and chance into a pair of comfy pants and a pyjama shirt, since his blouse is starting to feel like cardboard. Jongin seriously wonders why his heart is racing so much, but he shoves the thought aside before focusing on the mountain of papers next to him.

He ploughs through them surprisingly fast, and it's not until Jongin is finished signing the tenth to last one that it suddenly hits him - his entire cubicle smells like Sehun. Once he realizes it, Jongin puts his pen down before rubbing his face. He didn't even notice at first, but now that his head has stopped spinning and he's able to let his thoughts slip through, it becomes clear as day. 

Nevertheless, Jongin bites his lip before attempting to focus on the remaining 1044's. He figures that if he finishes within the next 20 minutes, he'll be home before 10, and the thought alone is enough to make him squash all other thoughts and, before he knows it, he's finished signing the last sheet at 8:59. Jongin practically flies out of his seat and half-assedly puts on his coat, nearly forgetting his briefcase before he turns his computer off and rushes towards the elevators. Sehun's scent is still following him, but it's not nearly as strong now, and Jongin finds himself gripping his briefcase tightly as he reaches the lobby and exits the building.